La Boqueria

See more Markets. See best of Barcelona in Spain.

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London to Barcelona 2008

Take a leisurely 7 day trip from London to Barcelona via Paris and the magic wine growing region of the Loire Valley in France.

7 days, from $863 (Group tour). Top Deck Travel »

La Boqueria on Barcelona’s ‘La Rambla’ claims to be the largest market of its kind in Europe. Whether this is true or not, the market is definitely worth visiting, not only to see some of the local produce that is available for restaurateurs but to see a slice of everyday life for Barcelona’s locals. The market has a huge seafood selection from Tuesday to Saturday (the fishermen do not fish on Sundays so Mondays are always sparse on the fish front), offering tuna, baby cuttlefish and even more exotic varieties alongside everything you would traditionally expect to see. The fruit stalls are piled high with bright coloured and often oddly shaped vegetables and fruits which although failing to conform to British supermarket standard categories, taste amazing and their fresh smell spreads through the whole building. The vendors are friendly and although prefer to serve you themselves, will allow you to point out what specific produce you would like; be ready to bargain with them to get the best prices. More exotic produce such as snails, dried insects and all varieties of dried mushrooms can also be bought in the market alongside basic picnic ingredients that you can pick up on the way to the beach. To stay and soak up the atmosphere, you can get lunch at one of the little tapas restaurants around to try catalan dishes cooked with produce directly from the market itself.

3 / 5 Review by editor Alessia Horwich